Building a tool to help psychology students learn diagnosis
January 2014
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My Role:
Secondary research, SME interviews,
Concept development, Wireframes, Visual Design
Concept testing with paper prototype with actual students
Proposal presentation and defence
Introduction
Introduction
Teaching the idea of a disorder spectrum or continuum is one of the biggest challenges. Students tend to get very concrete about disorders and have trouble understanding that details often merge seamlessly along a spectrum. The project should highlight the importance of noting and weighing certain specific criteria in order to diagnose a disorder.
Problem statement
Problem statement
The concept development started off with three basic requirements;
The concept development started off with three basic requirements;
Design an interactive tool for psychology students.
Design an interactive tool for psychology students.
Aim for the selected 12 abnormal psychologies.
Aim for the selected 12 abnormal psychologies.
Train the students by NUDGING them towards the right diagnosis.
Train the students by NUDGING them towards the right diagnosis.
The other important considerations were;
Make an interactive tool with a “WOW!”
Don’t ask MCQs
Non-intrusive, non-distracting yes, highly helpful
Teach the diagnostic process without the feeling of being taught
Responsive design techniques to deliver a consistent user experience
Total 12 psychological disorders were to be included in the same.
The tool was supposed to be used by the students while performing diagnosis. The aim was to make the students understand the intricate differences between seemingly similar psychological disorders.
Research
Research
Hannah, 26
Hannah completed her bachelor's in psychology and is now getting into the practice. She is well-trained in theory and is now starting her career as a psychologist
Jacob, 56
Jacob is a mentor to many students who wish to get into the field of mental health. He likes to assist his mentees, but it is getting hard for him to travel
The project started off by reading and analysing the theory of all 12 psychological disorders and understanding the common factors as well as the differentiating factors in all of them. A few students and domain experts were consulted to understand the intricate details of the psychiatric world. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) were selected as they exhibit similar external actions while differing on the intricate levels.
The theory the entire tool was based on was an ancient Greek method of determining the suitability of a person for a high-risk high responsibility job (aka modern psych evaluation). It was based on the five pillars of the human personality as described in the diagram
An average of all the pillars was identified and that is were the "NORMAL" line was placed. While talking to the subject, the students can take a guess about where the subject stands based on a series of interactive questions. For example, higher SAT scores mean a high IQ.
Then came the process of fine-tuning. The above configuration can mean both OCD and PTSD. However, a minor difference can determine what exactly the disorder is. Hence a layer of fine-tuning was added to the tool. For each pillar, there were a few questions that could shift the probabilities
Solution
Solution
In psychology, unless the problem is 100% diagnosed, all possibilities exist with equal probability. Hence a probability tool was introduced to mention what "LIKELY" the disorder could be.
Based on the selection performed during the sessions, the charts will move, so as to guide the students towards asking the right questions than can lead them to the final diagnosis.
There were certain other features in the app, where a student could tap on the "i" button in front of the disorder to read about the same. Also, the meanings of difficult to understand words were made available right there and then.
Done under e-Zest Roof, for a reputed educational institute working for improving mental health
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